The Health Effects of Sunbeds
and how to advise your clients
With thanks to:
Sarah Bird
Health Improvement Project Officer (Skin Cancer), Public
Health Directorate, Exeter
and
Lorraine Wilkinson
Cancer awareness and screening project assistant
Plymouth PCT
Who kindly prepared and delivered this presentation.
Skin cancer – what’s the issue?
Test your knowledge…
Plymouth has the…
a) Highest rate of malignant melanoma in
the country?
b) The 4th highest rate of malignant
melanoma in the country?
c) The 20th highest rate of malignant
melanoma in the country?
Skin cancer is most common in…
a) Teenagers?
b) People aged 20-50?
c) People over 50?
For 15-34 year olds, skin cancer is
the…
a) Rarest cancer?
b) 2nd most common cancer?
c) Tenth most common cancer?
Which statement is true?
a) Skin cancer is not preventable
b) 50% of skin cancers are preventable
c) 80% of skin cancers are preventable
Avoid burning
Getting a painful sunburn just once every two
years can triple the risk of malignant melanoma
Know your skin
People with fair skin that burns easily, lots of
freckles, moles, a history of sunburn and
family/personal history of skin cancer are
more at risk and need to take extra care
Seek shade
In the UK, the sun is strongest between
11am and 3pm. Abroad, the sun is
strongest when your shadow is shorter
than your height – seek shade during this
time.
Cover up
Protect your skin with clothing such as
sunglasses, hat and t-shirt
Hat may be
stylish…
…or not so stylish,
as long as it does
the job.
Sunglasses
Sunscreen – know how to use it
• Use at least SPF15
• Use a ‘broad-spectrum’ (UVA and UVB
protection) sunscreen with a 4* rating
• Reapply regularly and generously
• Most sunscreens expire after 1-2 years so make
sure yours is in date
• Cheaper sunscreens can be just as effective as
the expensive ones
• Don’t rely on sunscreen as your only form of
protection
• No sunscreen gives 100% protection so don’t be
tempted to stay out longer
Avoid binge-tanning
Government advice is to avoid
using sunbeds
Based on World Health Organization (WHO) and
Department of Health advice, you should
not use UV tanning equipment if you:
• have fair, sensitive skin that burns easily or tans slowly
or poorly;
• have a history of sunburn, particularly in childhood;
• have a large number of freckles and/or red hair;
• have a large number of moles;
• are taking medicines or using creams that sensitise the
skin to sunlight;
• have a medical condition that is worsened by sunlight;
• or anyone in your family has had skin cancer in the past;
• already have extensive skin damage due to sunlight.
• The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act, effective from April 2011,
makes it illegal to let under 18s use UV tanning
equipment in salons
Skin type
• Type I - Often burns, rarely tans. Tends to have
freckles, red or fair hair, and blue or green eyes.
• Type II - Usually burns, sometimes tans. Tends
to have light hair, and blue or brown eyes.
• Type III - Sometimes burns, usually tans. Tends
to have brown hair and eyes.
• Type IV - Rarely burns, often tans. Tends to
have dark brown eyes and hair.
• Type V - Naturally black-brown skin. Often has
dark brown eyes and hair.
• Type VI - Naturally black-brown skin. Usually
has black-brown eyes and hair.
• Sunbeds are estimated to cause around 100 deaths
from melanoma every year in the UK
• Using sunbeds for the first time before the age of 35
increases the risk of developing melanoma by 75%
• Sunbeds may be mostly UVA, but UVA has now
been proven to contribute to skin cancer as well as
UVB
• WHO has now classified sunbeds as ‘definitely
carcinogenic’ – same category as tobacco and
asbestos
• At most, a sunbed tan is the equivalent of sunscreen
with an SPF of 2-4 – not enough to protect you
• You don’t need to use a sunbed to get enough
vitamin D
Spotting skin cancer early
• Asymmetry The two halves of your mole
do not look the same.
• Border The edges of your mole are
irregular, blurred or jagged.
• Colour The colour of your mole is uneven,
with more than one shade.
• Diameter Your mole is wider than 6mm in
diameter (the size of a pencil eraser).
Other signs of skin cancer
• a new growth or sore that won't heal
• a spot, mole or sore that itches or hurts
• a mole or growth that bleeds, crusts or
scabs
White patches = healthy skin,
less exposed, e.g. eyelids,
under eyebrows, under nose
Purple patches = where
skin is thinner/dehydrated
Freckles/pigmentation
= sign of skin type but
also of sun exposure
White specks
= dust/dead
skin cells
Fluorescent
pores = oily
Nose is often
more damaged
Gemma Merna (Hollyoaks)